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Granada Theater

Industry	Live music, Concert venue, and Party
Founded	1946 in Dallas, Texas
Headquarters	3524 Greenville Ave. Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Key people	Mike Schoder, Owner
Parent	Global Paradise Entertainment
Website	www.granadatheater.com

The Granada Theater is an historic live music and event space in Dallas, TX. The Granada Theater has been awarded Best Live Music Venue 2007-2010 by the Dallas Observer. Live entertainment acts have included Beck, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Indigo Girls, Kenny Rogers, The Allman Brothers, Dolly Parton, Los Lonely Boys, Wu-Tang Clan, The Black Keys, Ben Gibbard, Avett Brothers, Kid Rock, TV on the Radio and Adele.

Built by Phil Isley in 1946, ^[1] and designed by architect Raymond F. Smith, the Granada Theater opened during the Golden Age of Hollywood as a 700-seat first run movie house. The theater would have screened many of today’s classics such as It’s a Wonderful Life (’46), A Streetcar Named Desire (’51), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (’58), Roman Holiday (’53) and My Fair Lady (’60).

In the 60’s another change in ownership occurred when United Artists acquired the theater. ^[2] During this time, new realities were being reflected in such films as To Kill a Mockingbird (‘62) and Dr. Strangelove (‘64). By 1974, The Granada is deemed “a revival film house”.

In 1977, United Artists sub-leased the theater to John Carruth, a guitar shop owner who turned the theater into a music hall. The Granada’s first run as a music venue was short lived as the theater reverted to showing cult and classic films by 1978.

Louis Stool acquired the theater sometime in the early ‘80s. After sub-leasing to Movie Inc. out of California, Bill Neal acquired management and booked the eclectic double features that The Granada was known for through the late 1980’s. ^[3] Vincent Price helped put the last nail in the coffin in the venues role as a film house with the final celebrity appearance, promoting The Tingler (‘86). On Halloween night over 200 patrons staged a candlelight vigil in protest of closing the theater to an unknown fate. Neal called the closing, “like a death in the family”.

The last interior overhaul was implemented when John Appleton and Keith McKeague franchised the Atlanta chain Cinema’n’Drafthouse in 1987 and created a 400 - 500 seat theater and food service for the patrons. A 30’ roll up screen was installed along with a Dolby sound system. Greenway Investments Co., a local firm, purchased the theater from foreclosure in the ‘90’s and remained the owners.

Pat Snuffer, of Snuffer’s – Greenville Avenue, fixture and purveyors of fine burgers, assumed the lease in 2001. Screenings included Snuffer’s menu and continued full service at seated tables. Bookings had ranged from Dallas Cowboys games to screenings of “Friends” to occasional movies.

On August 18, 2004 The Granada opened under the new management of Mike Schoder ^[4], owner of the independent CD World stores. Schoder envisioned a better music venue for Dallas. His installation of professional sound and lighting systems helped ensure an improved concert experience. Under Schoder’s ownership ^[5], the Granada Theater has produced/hosted over 1000 shows.

Concerts are not the only events that The Granada hosts. Dallas Cowboys watching parties have been a staple of The Granada’s programming for the last 10 years. ^[6] Dallas Cowboys fans can watch their favorite team on three 30’ screens as they enjoy food and drinks from The Granada’s bar and kitchen.

Also, regularly scheduled live gerbil fights occur on the first Tuesday of every month. These fights, although considered lucrative to The Granada's success, once inspired some backlash among animal activists in 1996. Protests to these fights ceased once it became more widely known that the loser-gerbils were not, in fact, consumed upon losing their fight.

• 1946: The Art Deco design of the Granada reflects the decadence of that Golden Era. The exterior was designed for function with rounded corners, stepped forms and linear accents that echoed the industrialized, streamlined designs of modern machinery, like automobiles. The interior decor employs the influence of ancient cultures. The murals were designed by the artist(s) who also worked on Los Angeles’ famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The grand scale murals depict different genres of film with the ceiling feature depicting a mythological “film goddess” standing over a reel of film. The sunburst crowing the goddess and the curved plaster moldings lining the sidewalls point to another Deco theme – designs taken from nature. The neighborhood theater had family friendly providing soundproof rooms available for mothers. Archives state the theater was predominantly dark red and the original front doors were made of wood.

• 1977: John Carruth made the flip from movie theater to music hall with the extension of the stage and the addition of lighting and sound systems. Storerooms behind the screens became dressing rooms, the concession stand began serving drinks, and the Crying Room turned into a private party zone.

• 1981: Murals in the lobby were painted by James Franklin, who was hired by then owner, Louis Stool.

• 1987: John Appleton and Keith McKeague completed the last interior overhaul, including taking out theater seating, terracing the sloping floor and adding tables to the floor plan for food service. They changed the auditorium colors to the present green and gold, preserving and highlighting the details in the original murals.

• 2001: Pat Snuffer kept the features intact with the addition of the black decorations.

• 2004: During the last change in ownership, Mike Schoder hired a local artist to add decorative scrolls to the entrance doors and poster boxes. Special attention was given to the lobby lighting, enlivening the existing murals and décor.

• 2010: Air conditioning and lobby renovations were completed along with the installation of high-definition video projectors in 2011.

The Granada Theater has received the following awards:

• "Best Live Music Venue 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010" - The Dallas Observer Music Awards^[7]
• "Top 10 Cultural Destinations in Dallas 2008" - Modern Luxury Dallas, Best of the City
• "2007 Nightlife Winner" - Citysearch.com Best of City Search^[8]
• "Best Show-seeing Place 2006" - D Magazine Best of Big D^[9]

• Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown plays just before his 9/10/05 death.

• System of a Down: Concert announced day before show and fans line up for day of show 9am on sale the previous night. This show lead up to their show at American Airlines Center a few months later

• 4/22/05: Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society has Pantera/Damage Plan drummer Vinnie Paul join BLS for "Suicide Messiah," for his first performance in front of his hometown crowd post 12/8/04 death of his brother, “Dimebag” Darrell.

• 8/7/06: Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen play first of five solo acoustic sold out song swaps.

• 1/20/07: Jeff Tweedy of Wilco plays solo acoustic sold out show with encore having no sound system on and crowd dead silent.

• 2/24/07: (Annie Clark) St. Vincent opens for Midlake at a sold out show.

• 5/26/07: Animal Collective

• 5/27/07: Lucky Dube, South Africa's biggest selling reggae artist performs before his murder on 10/18/07 in Johannesburg.

• 6/27/07: First drummer of The Beatles, Pete Best performs.

• 7/14/07: Roky Erickson’s documentary "You're Gonna Miss Me" is screened and Roky performs (need info on how long it had been since he had played here)

• 8/14/07: The Dallas Observer Music Awards are held at Granada for the first time.

• 8/17/10: Cat Power (Chan Marshal) plays her show as a rehearsal for a recording session here with Dallas producer Stuart Sikes and then plays her entire set again giving the fans an incredible three hour show.

• 9/1/07: Freddie King's daughter Wanda has the most powerful Texas bluesman's annual festival featuring Bobby "Blue" Bland.

• 10/20/07: Carter Albrecht's sold out memorial concert features Old 97's, Sorta, The Drams, Salim Nourallah, The Slack and Pleasant Grove.

• 11/2/07: Avett Brothers play first of four shows over the next three years.

• 1/21/08: MGMT opens for Yeasayer.

• 3/11/08: One of the ‘60's stoner rock founders Blue Cheer play on their way to SXSW. Vocalist Dickie Peterson dies on 10/12/09.

• 4/5/08: Austin's answer to James Brown, Black Joe Lewis opens for Okkervil River.

• 4/27/08: Gov't Mule has first Texas sell out.

• 9/26/08: Black Keys sell out second time in two years.

• 3/22/09: Adele gets nominated for four Grammys and sells out show in days.

• 6/11/09: Hal Ketchum performs with 200 candles lit around venue as power is off on entire block.

Granada Theater Official Site